Conference 7.286::digital

There's been a lot of engineering effort here in LKG supporting the bid.  Now
there will even more now we have won the contract.  One of the issues that
allowed us to win was the development of a new algorithm to distribute data
quickly and efficently throughout a wide area network.

    I know what's going on but I'm not an official spokesperson for the
    company.  When the official word comes out I will see that it's gets
    posted here.
    
    What's been reported is that MCI selected Digital to provide
    specialized software, hardware, and services for its Nasdaq network
    contract.  Neither MCI nor DEC have issued a clarification to what's
    been reported.

My understanding is that there's three pieces.

	backend systems
	network
	desktop 

Unisys was the installed vendor for the backend and were able to keep it.

MCI/Digital won the network portion.

Don't know who got the desktop.

re: .1

>...was the development of a new algorithm to distribute data
>quickly and efficently throughout a wide area network.

	gee, maybe we could use that algorithm to distribute weather maps!

	I did see an internal memo a few days ago that said that Unisys
	won the transaction processing part (which was the main part of the
	Nasdaq contract). Unfortunately, I haven't saved the copy. 

    
    The three NASDAQ opportunities were:
    
    the market systems - won by Unisys, the incumbent vendor.  Digital
    passed an extensive benchmark test (600+ TPS, 300-400ms response
    time, shadowed data centers), but still lost the business.
    
    
    the corporate systems - won by Sun and Sequent (both companies are
    listed on the NASDAQ exchange   ;-)  ).  Digital participated in the bid,
    but focused most of the effort on the other two opportunities (both
    substantially larger in terms of $$$).
    
    
    the network - won by MCI/Digital (joint bid).
    
    
    Thats the sum of it.
    
    George Matthews
    NASDAQ Account Team
    

	Re. .6

	George, 

	Was the Unisys configuration based on their own system or was it
	based on the Sequent's that they re-sell? Who is the database 
	vendor?

	What reasons did Nasdaq give for not choosing Digital? What were
	Unisys' performance numbers? 

	How does this loss affect other opportunities? (I have heard that
	many stock exchanges around the world were watching what Nasdaq 
	would do.)

Newsgroups: biz.dec
From: [email protected]
Subject: Partner/NASDAQ Trading Network To Be Installed By MCI
Sender: [email protected]
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 11:08:43 -0700
 
||||||  Digital Partner News ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
                                              Digital Equipment Corporation
                                          Maynard, Massachusetts 01754-2571
 
		NASDAQ TRADING NETWORK TO BE INSTALLED BY MCI 
 
NEW YORK, NY -- August 17, 1993 -- The National Association of Securities 
Dealers Automated Quotations stock market selected MCI Communications Corp. 
to provide and manage a high-speed electronic trading network that is 
planned to more than triple Nasdaq's current capacity.
 
     Robert Bloom, Nasdaq's director of telecommunications, said the current 
system has a 450 million share capacity . "The new system will have a
capacity to handle 800 million shares a day," he said. "More importantly,
it will be a very flexible system and could handle up to a billion shares a
day."
 
     The Nasdaq's average daily volume is currently about 245 million
shares, a spokesman reported. Total Nasdaq market volume reached a record
343.2 million shares on May 20.
 
     MCI will install, operate, manage and service the trading network, 
connecting trading terminals world-wide to Nasdaq's data centers. MCI said
the six-year outsourcing agreement is estimated at $150 million.
 
     MCI has selected Digital Equipment Corp. to provide specialized
software, hardware and services for the network.
 
     The network will be installed in stages beginning in next year's first 
quarter with an estimated completion of third quarter 1995.
				####
 
============================================================================
All Digital Partner News releases are archived on gatekeeper.dec.com in the 
/pub/DEC/DECinfo/DECnews-PR directory.
============================================================================

    Digital did win substantial business at NASD as a subcontractor to MCI.
    COntractual requirements prevent us from discussing this in detail at
    this time.
    
    However, Keep an eye on announcements at Interop next week, regarding
    some unique, real-time networking capabilities....
    
    If you have opportunities or requirements in Real-Time Financial
    Networking contact Teri Yang, Program Manager, Networks, FPPS CBU. Teri
    is @MRO or FSOA::YANG.
    
    Stay tuned for more information on Digital capabilities in this area.

    
    re: .7
    
    The Unisys hardware was 2200/933 in a Gladiator (read: cluster)
    configuration.  2 systems at the primary data center, 1 system at the
    shadow site.  No database manager - Unisys had a memory-based file
    system.  Their TPS rate was no different than ours - the rates were
    fixed as part of the test specification (they did, however, run an extra
    test cycle to simulate the load of a billion share trading trading day
    - approx.  700 TPS).
    
    We are still investigating the specifics of why Unisys was selected
    with NASDAQ.  I have my theories, but I'll refrain from comment until
    more data is in.
    
    On a brighter note, Digital learned alot from this experience.  You may
    be seeing several reports/presentations/memos over the next several
    months from Corporate Systems Engineering on this project, the system
    integration challenges, hardware/software product performance, etc.  In
    summary, we as a corporation can demonstrate high end client/server TP 
    solutions.
    

Wasn't there a reply .11 here yesterday? 


	erik

    Yes, there was, however, it might have been posted without approval.
    
    	fred deady

    Nope, it's a textbook case things crossed in the mail.  Here's a
    chronology:
    
    (1) Author sends Pat a NASDAQ clarification memo because he's on a small
    mailing list for NASDAQ/DEC people.
    
    (2) Pat sends mail to author.  "This is discussed in Notes, do you want
    me to add it there?"
    
    (3) Pat receives the memo on the massive "Readers Choice" financial sales
    reps and financial sales support reps mailing list.
    
    (4) Pat now believes that the memo _is_ inteneded for "wide distribution"
    and enters the text in the notes conference.
    
    (5) Author sends mail to Pat.  "This isn't for wide distribution."
    
    (6) Pat deletes reply in Digital conference.
    
    (7) Pat sends mail to author, "Do you realize your memo was sent out on
    the Readers Choice massive distribution list?"
    
    That brings us up to the present moment.  Until I get an unambiguous
    permission to enter the text here, I'm not going to do so.

It's great to see Digital getting the NASD contract with MCI for the 
Network end. It's not that often that specific contracts such as this have 
the capability of increasing the share price (albeit for a short period).

However, as a member of the Group that developed the specialised Hardware 
(mentioned in .8), I find it ironic that within 4 weeks of this announcement, 
that entire group will be disbanded and will leave Digital.

Last one out on 30-Sept turns off the lights !!!

What annoys me most, is that I only learnt of this contract win through the 
medium of this notesfile. I worked long and hard on that development. The 
least that could be expected would have been notification of it's success !!

So long,
	John...